How Much Does It Cost To Be a Bridesmaid

It is such an excitement and such an honor to be asked to be a bridesmaid at your friend’s wedding. You realize then how much you care and how important you are to each other. But having big responsibilities comes with sacrifices: your nerves, your time and especially your money. Depending on the wedding location, theme, budget, and the bride’s expectations, you might end up spending $1,000 (or even more) for this privilege. So, what’s in for you? Just the joy of watching your friend starting a new stage in her life, you get to help her plan, organize everything and get her ready. Though it might be fun to try on all those dresses and taste all those cakes, it is also surprisingly expensive.

This article will give you some advice and facts about the actual costs of being a maid of honor from the moment you say “yes” to standing next to the bride during her wedding day until she finally says ‘I do’.

Bridesmaid dress. It’s no secret that you are going to pay for your dress. The average price is around $150, that if you only take into consideration the dress and nothing else. Still, you have to keep in mind that you are going to need shoes, special lingerie, and other accessories that can spice up the price to $300+. Although $150 is the price all maids of honor hope for, sometimes the bride decides to go for a gown that costs $500 or even more. And to think you do not even have a say in the dress’s design…

Hair, makeup, and manicures. It will be so much fun if all of you girls go together to the salon and get ready for the big day. The bride will love to be accompanied, she already imagines how all of you girls get your hair and makeup done together and talk and laugh and drink champagne. The taboo subject of conversation for everyone is ‘who is paying?’. Most likely, dear bridesmaid, you are going to pay for your own transformation; meaning that you are stuck with a bill of $100 or more.

Travel costs. Traveling can be quite expensive when you do it for your own pleasure, even more, when it comes to attending and being part of a wedding. You may need to arrive a day or two in advance and leave a day or two later – the first one to arrive, the last one to go, this means incurring extra hotel nights and having less flexibility to book cheap flights. You will spend around $300, without including all those pre-wedding parties.

Throwing the engagement and the bridal shower. Most likely you will be expected to kick in for all the costs – the invitations, the food, the décor. The price varies between $50 and $100, depending on how many guests you are going to invite and how pretentious the party is going to be. Oh, so many parties before the big one!

The bachelorette party. In addition to what you are going to spend on a usual night out, during the bachelorette party, you are going to spend at least $100 for the bride’s entertainment and drinks, and probably adding up some naughty favors. If you go to a destination bachelorette party, you are going to spend a lot more.

All those presents. As a bridesmaid, you are going to spend a significant amount of money for gifts: around $100 for the wedding present, $50 for the engagement shower gift and another $50 for the bridal shower gift. Of course, you have to spend that money even if you are not involved in the wedding, still you have to add the costs to your budget. Therefore, be prepared to spend $1,000 and maybe more. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to be a maid of honor on a budget.

Be honest and opened about your budget from the very begging. Try saving money by suggesting the brides that all bridesmaid should wear different dresses in the same color. It is a simple way of unifying the wedding party while given the opportunity to all women to choose the most suitable dress for her body, as well for her wallet.

If your friend asked you to be her bridesmaid is because she really loves you, she wants to share the happiest moments of her life with you, and she values your presence more than your financial contribution. Be straightforward and tell her that you are short of money. Ask if you can work together on reducing the costs.

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